Force India chasing fifth spot in 2013

Encouraged by the results in the second half of the season, and with regulations set to remain stable next year, Force India is aiming to climb two places higher in the constructors’ championship in 2013.

Pipped by Sauber this year by 17 points for sixth place, Force India finished this season’s campaign in seventh but not before outscoring not only the Swiss team but also Mercedes in the last eight races.

"Apart from the development work you're going to do over the winter, fundamentally where you've finished now is where you start in March,” Force India deputy team principal Rob Fernely told Autosport.

The Briton added that the team has “slow out of the box” in the last two seasons, an area where it intends to make significant gains.

"It's caught us out. Hopefully in 2013 that won't be the case," he said.

In 2011, Force India finished sixth in the standings and over the last three years has established as a consistent mid-field team.

"If you look at the stats, since the summer break, Force India's the fifth best performing team and Vijay (Mallya) will expect us to start there, it's as simple as that," Fernely said.

"Mercedes obviously have a lot of work to do. They have Lewis (Hamilton) going there, so that's going to be a renewed enthusiasm for what they're doing,” he pointed out. "They're a force to be reckoned with, but they've got to overcome the back of this season.

"From our point of view we've been strong at the end of this season and we want to carry that through to next year," he added.